Businessweek Archives

Keeping A Good Clamp On Notebook P Cs

August 02, 1992

Bits & Bytes

KEEPING A GOOD CLAMP ON NOTEBOOK PCs

Executives have rejoiced in the freedom provided by portable notebook computers. But while workers have reveled in their liberation from desktop PCs, corporate computer-system managers have fretted over how to keep notebooks--and the information stored in them--from becoming "liberated." Now, Corporate Management Group Inc. (CMG) thinks it has a way to allay those fears.

The Austin (Tex.) company has developed the $70 NoteLock, a simple five-ounce steel clamp with a lock that seals notebook computers shut. The company says this provides better security than traditional solutions such as passwords or file-encryption software. And, CMG says, it is far easier to install. Michael P. Shultz, president of CMG, says he may follow with more sophisticated devices, such as clamps with electronic locks or a motion detector that would emit a loud, piercing alarm should the computer be moved by the wrong person.EDITED BY PAUL M. ENG